Home
Psychological tests
Destructive Leadership Scale (DLS)

Destructive Leadership Scale (DLS) Test

Understand how your manager may be draining motivation and wellbeing in about 4 minutes. Get a clear snapshot in 19 items to spot risks early and support healthier leadership and retention.

Start Online Test

Questions: 194 minutes

Hi! My name is Freudly, i am an AI therapist, I will give you an interpretation of the test after you complete it.

08:30

October 2, 2025

October 2, 2025
Material has been updated

October 2, 2025
Material has been published

21,803 views

2,697 completions

2,157 likes

Verified by Daniel Hall

Psychologist with 25 years of experience

Scale Explorer

How the Scales are Structured

example score

3/5

Demotivating Leadership (DL)

Measures the extent to which a leader’s behavior makes employees’ work feel meaningless and reduces motivation and engagement.

Low

Moderate

High

1 – 2.4: Low | 2.5 – 3.4: Moderate | 3.5 – 5: High

A score of 3 indicates a moderate level of demotivating leadership behaviors that may sometimes undermine employees’ sense of meaning and motivation at work.

example score

2/5

Divisive Leadership (DL)

Measures the extent to which a manager’s behavior isolates an employee from the team and undermines belonging.

Low

Moderate

High

1 – 2.3: Low | 2.4 – 3.6: Moderate | 3.7 – 5: High

A score of 2 indicates a low level of disconnecting leadership, suggesting relatively few isolating behaviors are perceived.

example score

4/5

Devaluing Leadership (DL)

Measures the extent to which a leader devalues employees and undermines their confidence and professional development.

Low

Moderate

High

1 – 2.3: Low | 2.4 – 3.6: Moderate | 3.7 – 5: High

A score of 4 indicates a high level of disparaging leadership, suggesting frequent behaviors that may reduce employees’ sense of competence and hinder growth.

example score

3/5

Coercive Leadership (CL)

Measures the extent to which a leader uses controlling, directive behaviors that limit employee autonomy in day-to-day work.

Low coercion

Moderate coercion

High coercion

1 – 2.4: Low coercion | 2.5 – 3.4: Moderate coercion | 3.5 – 5: High coercion

A score of 3 indicates a moderate level of coercive leadership, suggesting noticeable control and direction that may sometimes reduce autonomy and engagement.

Start Online Test

just completed the test

DATA-BASED USER COHORTS

Who Usually Takes This Test?

Frustrated team members

46%OF USERS

Employees take it to check whether their manager’s behaviors are undermining motivation and contributing to stress or burnout.

HR and people leaders

32%OF USERS

HR professionals and senior managers use it to spot harmful leadership patterns and target coaching or culture interventions.

Researchers and students

22%OF USERS

Organizational researchers and students take it to measure destructive leadership and compare results across teams or studies.

BASED ON AGGREGATED, ANONYMIZED DATA FROM TENS OF THOUSANDS OF FREUDLY USERS.

RESULTS YOU CAN ACTUALLY USE

Scale Results
— Explained Clearly

Your scores across each test scale are translated into plain, usable insights. You won’t just get numbers — you’ll learn how your results impact your daily life, emotional state, and overall well-being.

AI-Powered
Interpretation

You’ll receive a structured, clinically-grounded explanation. Our AI analyzes patterns and relationships between scales to provide a coherent interpretation, without exaggerated language.

Statistical
Comparison

See how your results compare to others. Anonymized platform data is used to create a percentile scale, which identifies whether your results are typical.

Practical
Recommendations

You’ll receive clear, actionable guidance tailored to your profile. These easy-to-implement suggestions focus on coping, self-regulation, and realistic next steps.

AI-Powered
Insights

Get insights on behavioral and thought patterns you might not notice on your own. By uncovering subtle connections between your responses, you’ll better understand what may be driving your current results.

Discuss with
an AI Therapist

Clarify, reflect, and explore your results right away. Talk through your experience, ask questions, and explore meanings in a calm, non-diagnostic dialogue.

Start Online Test

Used in 52+ countries

Benchmarking

See How You Compare

Once you complete the test, your results are compared with real-world data from people in your country.
Below is a preview of how scores are typically distributed across each scale.

Demotivating Leadership (DL)

Average

2.4

Normal range

1.8 — 3

min.

max.

Majority

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

Disconnecting Leadership (DL)

Average

3.7

Normal range

3.1 — 4.3

min.

max.

Majority

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

Disparaging leadership (Dl)

Average

2.2

Normal range

1.5 — 2.8

min.

max.

Majority

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

Coercive Leadership (CL)

Average

3.1

Normal range

2.5 — 3.6

min.

max.

Majority

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

Start Online Test

Featured On

CLEAR ANSWERS TO COMMON QUESTIONS

Frequently Asked Questions

What does this questionnaire measure?

It measures leadership behaviors that reduce motivation by undermining autonomy, competence, relatedness, and significance. Higher scores indicate more frequent demotivating or harmful leadership behavior.

Who should complete it?

It is intended for employees who have regular contact with a direct supervisor or manager. It may also be used in research or organizational reviews of leadership practices.

How long does it take and how many items are included?

Completion time is about 4 minutes. The questionnaire includes 19 items.

How should responses be chosen?

Responses should reflect observed behavior over a typical recent period rather than a single incident. Select the option that best matches the usual frequency or intensity.

How should results be interpreted and used?

Results indicate areas where leadership behavior may be contributing to disengagement and burnout risk. The measure supports discussion and development planning and is not a clinical diagnosis.

WHAT THE TEST MEASURES

About This Assessment

Destructive Leadership Scale (DLS) Test - Symptoms and Signs

leadership management arrange leadership style

This self-report measure is designed to assess employees’ perceptions of harmful or undermining leader behaviors in the workplace. The Destructive Leadership Scale (DLS), developed by Jean M. Lipman-Blumen and Robert J. House, focuses on behaviors that may erode motivation, engagement, and psychological needs relevant to effective functioning.

The instrument contains 19 items and typically requires about 4 minutes to complete. Responses can be used to characterize the perceived frequency or intensity of destructive leadership behaviors and to inform organizational assessment, research, and targeted follow-up. Results from the Destructive Leadership Scale (DLS) should be interpreted within the broader organizational context and alongside other sources of information when used for decision-making.

Author: Jean M. Lipman-Blumen, Robert J. House

Literature: Tepper, B. J. Consequences of abusive supervision. Academy of Management Journal. 2000.; Nikolova, I., Caniëls, M. C. J., Schaufeli, W., & Semeijn, J. H. Disengaging leadership scale (DLS): Evidence of initial validity. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2021.

Test Question Form